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Making Natural Area Programs Work for Wildlife |
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Natural area managers and open space program
administrators play an important part in advancing the conservation of
wildlife habitat through their role in preserving key lands and managing
those lands that are under their jurisdiction. Natural area managers in
all fifty states now have a new tool available to them to inform their
management and planning decision-making – state wildlife action plans –
proactive plans designed to conserve wildlife before they become
threatened or endangered and more costly to protect. These plans describe
the distribution and abundance of wildlife species of conservation
concern, describe the threats to these species, and outline conservation
actions that can support the conservation of the species and their
habitats. Because they identify a variety of habitat conservation,
management, and research priorities, the wildlife action plans can support
natural area managers in effectively directing management and funding
priorities. State Wildlife Action Plans In 2001, Congress created the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program and State Wildlife Grants Program to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered. As part of the effort, each state and territory was required to develop a wildlife action plan that would outline a proactive strategy for conserving |
at-risk wildlife and their habitat. Every
state and territory submitted their plan to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service by October 2005.
State fish and wildlife agencies coordinated
the development of these plans with a wide array of stakeholders. And the
conservation strategies contained in the wildlife action plans are
designed to be implemented by an equally diverse group of partners,
including private citizens and landowners, conservation organizations and
landholding agencies, and corporations, in addition to the state wildlife
agencies. Because the criteria for developing the plans were flexible,
each state took their own approach to identifying species, critical
wildlife habitat, and conservation actions. As a result, the plans
highlight state-specific and local conservation needs and priorities. Each
plan is different, reflects local concerns, and will be useful in guiding
various levels of conservation. |
However, natural area and open space program administrators in many states are unaware of the wildlife
action plans as a potentially powerful resource, or do not have a clear
sense of how the plans can inform and support decision-making regarding
statewide land conservation goals. In 2007, the Environmental Law
Institute (ELI) hosted a roundtable discussion entitled Making Open Space
Dollars Work for Wildlife, which was designed to identify specific
opportunities for state open space programs to utilize the state wildlife
action plans in their land protection and management decision-making. The
workshop built on the Institute’s 2007 report, The Nature of Open Space
Programs: Linking Land Protection and Biodiversity Conservation. Although
open space programs were the focus of the meeting, the discussions were
relevant to all types of natural area programs. Roundtable participants
included managers from state open space programs and state wildlife
agencies, representatives from the Natural Areas Association and other
nongovernmental conservation organizations, and staff from selected
federal natural resource agencies, as well as other members of the
conservation community. Continued on page 2 |
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Burgess Falls field trip; come see it for yourself! |
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